Every two minutes in the United States, someone is raped and for a female college student the chances of being that victim are four times greater. Although national crime statistics indicate that incidences of violent rape are decreasing, rape continues to be underreported according to an article by Ann Burnett, associate professor of communication and director of women and gender studies, who had an essay published in the December issue of Communication Currents.
Titled "How Date Rape is Communicated on Campus," the article addresses date rape, in which communication about the possibility of rape, the aftermath of rape and rape itself is central to creating a rape culture on campus. Researchers for the article asked focus groups with males and females questions about rape and sexual assault on campus. The comments demonstrated how communication fosters a date rape culture on campus.
The authors suggest if students, both male and female, become more knowledgeable about rape culture through education and unambiguous communication about the problem, perhaps misperceptions about sexual expectations would be decreased and the existence of a rape culture could be lessened.
To view the essay, go to www.communicationcurrents.com. Burnett wrote the essay with David H. Kahl Jr., an assistant professor of communication at Penn State University at Erie, The Behrend College, USA. The essay is translated from a scholarly essay titled "Communicating/Muting Date Rape: A Co-Cultural Theoretical Analysis of Communication Factors Related to Rape Culture on a College Campus.